C J Segerstrom Sons

C.J. Segerstrom & Sons, a Costa Mesa real estate developer, will receive a Forbes magazine award in New York tonight for its 20-year commitment to the arts in Orange County. Seven other companies in the nation also are receiving the magazine's annual Business in the Arts awards for contributing to the cultural enrichment in their communities.

C.J. Segerstrom & Sons plans to build offices and stores on 86 acres near its prized project, South Coast Plaza. The Costa Mesa City Council agreed this week to accept the family-owned firm's applications for general plan amendments and zone changes that could allow the developments to go forward. The property is between the San Diego Freeway and Sunflower Avenue, just west of Fairview Road. Most of the land would be used for office buildings, four to nine stories high.

Local gay activists threatened Monday to boycott South Coast Plaza after obtaining an internal, 2-year-old memo from the mall's owner, C.J. Segerstrom & Sons, that activists say discourages the hiring and promotion of gays. In a memo to managing partner Henry T. Segerstrom, operations director Skip Stephenson warned against setting down a formal statement on the hiring of gays at one of Orange County's biggest development firms.

C.J. Segerstrom & Sons is proposing a "radically different" Home Ranch development at the 86-acre site. A previous proposal became the center of controversy a decade ago, when the company sought to build a 32-story office building on the land. This plan features only low-rise office buildings and includes a freeway offramp to ease traffic. But the project, which Segerstrom said could generate $1 million in sales and property taxes, would require a General Plan amendment.

C.J. Segerstrom & Sons is proposing a "radically different" Home Ranch development at the 86-acre site. A previous proposal became the center of controversy a decade ago, when the company sought to build a 32-story office building on the land. This plan features only low-rise office buildings and includes a freeway offramp to ease traffic. But the project, which Segerstrom said could generate $1 million in sales and property taxes, would require a General Plan amendment.

C.J. Segerstrom & Sons plans to build offices and stores on 86 acres near its prized project, South Coast Plaza. The Costa Mesa City Council agreed this week to accept the family-owned firm's applications for general plan amendments and zone changes that could allow the developments to go forward. The property is between the San Diego Freeway and Sunflower Avenue, just west of Fairview Road. Most of the land would be used for office buildings, four to nine stories high.

The law firm of Rutan & Tucker, one of the county's larger office tenants, has negotiated a new lease at Central Bank Tower in Costa Mesa said by the landlord to be worth about $25 million. The lease is one of the largest in Orange County this year, covering 90,000 square feet over 10 years. Brokers said such a large tenant as Rutan & Tucker probably negotiated a very favorable deal with the landlord, C.J. Segerstrom & Sons.

The owners of South Coast Plaza plan to build a bridge across Bristol Street to link the shopping mall to the Town Center office and entertainment complex. C.J Segerstrom & Sons submitted plans to the city last week in seeking permits for the bridge. Malcolm Ross, who represented the developer before the City Council, said his firm hopes the bridge will be capable of handling a people-mover--either a moving belt or a monorail car.

Local gay activists threatened Monday to boycott South Coast Plaza after obtaining an internal, 2-year-old memo from the mall's owner, C. J. Segerstrom & Sons, that the activists say discourages the hiring and promotion of homosexuals. In the memo to managing partner Henry T. Segerstrom, operations director Skip Stephenson warned against setting down a formal statement on the hiring of gays at the firm, one of the biggest developers in Orange County.

As it has been for thousands of years--regardless of technology--the fate of farmers is firmly in the hands of an ever-fickle Mother Nature. Two years ago, a cool, overcast summer made a smooth farming season for C.J. Segerstrom & Sons and their four large Orange County lima bean fields. While it took longer than usual for the broad, flat beans to dry out, Ted Segerstrom said, they were spared the harsh heat that can leave them dried and cracked.

Crystal Court, the "other" mall that has long been overshadowed by neighboring South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, will undergo a major revitalization that includes a motorized walkway to connect the two retail centers. C.J. Segerstrom & Sons, the family-owned development company that operates both malls, plans to have an 800-foot walkway over Bear Avenue "up and running within 18 months," Anton Segerstrom, general manager of Crystal Court, said Wednesday.

Crystal Court, the "other" mall that has long been overshadowed by neighboring South Coast Plaza, will undergo a major revitalization that includes a motorized walkway to connect the two retail centers. C.J. Segerstrom & Sons, the family-owned development company that operates both malls, plans to have an 800-foot people mover over Bear Street "up and running within 18 months," Anton Segerstrom, general manager of Crystal Court, said Wednesday.

C.J. Segerstrom & Sons, a Costa Mesa real estate developer, will receive a Forbes magazine award in New York tonight for its 20-year commitment to the arts in Orange County. Seven other companies in the nation also are receiving the magazine's annual Business in the Arts awards for contributing to the cultural enrichment in their communities.

As it has been for thousands of years--regardless of technology--the fate of farmers is firmly in the hands of an ever-fickle Mother Nature. Two years ago, a cool, overcast summer made a smooth farming season for C.J. Segerstrom & Sons and their four large Orange County lima bean fields. While it took longer than usual for the broad, flat beans to dry out, Ted Segerstrom said, they were spared the harsh heat that can leave them dried and cracked.

Talk to merchants at Crystal Court or South Coast Plaza Village and expect to hear the same word pop up over and over again. The word is quiet. "The mall overall is really quiet," one said. "It gets rather quiet here," another said. "It gets so quiet you can hear the crickets," yet a third said. In the mall business, quiet is bad. Most retailers depend upon a steady stream of customers to attract attention to their stores.

Officials at C.J. Segerstrom & Sons said Tuesday they will change their written employee policies at South Coast Plaza and other management offices to specifically ban workplace discrimination against gays and lesbians.

C.J. Segerstrom & Sons, which owns and operates South Coast Plaza, has hired a Dallas shopping center manager to oversee day-to-day operations at the Costa Mesa mega-mall and other Segerstrom properties. Skip Stephenson, director of retail operations at the NorthPark Shopping Center in Dallas, confirmed Tuesday that he will join the Segerstrom firm May 30 as director of operations and administration. In the newly created executive position, Stephenson, 45, will head operations at South Coast Plaza, its Crystal Court annex, and South Coast Village, the retail-restaurant complex across Sunflower Avenue from the original mall.

The development firm C. J. Segerstrom & Sons is asking the city to waive $1.5 million in fees assessed against it for traffic improvements so that the money can be used to build a pedestrian bridge over Bristol Street. If the City Council deems the proposed bridge a major traffic improvement, it could forgive $1.5 million in "trip fees" charged to Segerstrom for every car entering or leaving the area.

Local gay activists threatened Monday to boycott South Coast Plaza after obtaining an internal, 2-year-old memo from the mall's owner, C. J. Segerstrom & Sons, that the activists say discourages the hiring and promotion of homosexuals. In the memo to managing partner Henry T. Segerstrom, operations director Skip Stephenson warned against setting down a formal statement on the hiring of gays at the firm, one of the biggest developers in Orange County.

Local gay activists threatened Monday to boycott South Coast Plaza after obtaining an internal, 2-year-old memo from the mall's owner, C.J. Segerstrom & Sons, that activists say discourages the hiring and promotion of gays. In a memo to managing partner Henry T. Segerstrom, operations director Skip Stephenson warned against setting down a formal statement on the hiring of gays at one of Orange County's biggest development firms.